Buying Kayak Off Ebay?

[hoosierbass07]

  I'm still considering buying my first fishing kayak for Christmas if I can find one for a nice price.  I found a seller on ebay who offers tons of Ride 115s from California.  I was wondering - do any of you know this seller/company?  They call themselves Kayak City. 

 

 http://www.ebay.com/itm/Wilderness-Systems-Ride-115-Advance-Camo-2013-/161171416393?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item258690a549

 

 

  For $700.00 plus free shipping to an airport (I think that is how it works) it might be a something I might go after.  

 

 There really aren't any places around me that sales the Ride 115 and even if there are I doubt I could find it for this kind of price.  

 

 Thanks

[Aluma-Bass]

I dont see why not, I looked at their feedback and on most of the yaks, including the 115 were all positive.

[tomustang]

It always helps to go to the seller info and read their feedback, especially the negative and make sure have plenty of feedback to show they've been in business long enough to be trusted.

[Darren.]

Agree with tomustang to read the feedback of the seller. The deal looks pretty darn good, and may very well be an awesome deal, especially if it is free shipping to an airport!! Yaks cost a lot to ship otherwise.

 

Personally, I try not to buy from any ebay seller that has a rating under 99.7%. That's me. You're about to drop a lot of cash and want to be sure the seller is straight up and honest.

 

That said, the Ride is a great yak from those I know who have/have had one.

[basshead1]

I love Ebay and always use Paypal through my credit card for the extra protection. I only had one problem in 13 years of buying off ebAy and it was fixed with a 5 minute call to Paypal. Be careful of foreign sellers and always check feedback.

[tnriverluver]

I have yet to ever have a bad experience on EBay and I have bought boats. boat motors, motorcycles, etc that required truck freight for shipping.  If the seller has a lot of positive feedback I don't hesitate buying from them.

[BarryG]

I've bought lots of stuff on e-bay and have never had any trouble. Cameras, lenses, reels etc... I love e-bay! 

[hoosierbass07]

  If I buy the Ride 115, they offer two versions- one low seat and one high seat.  The high seat adds $25 to the price.  Do you know anybody that has the Ride 115 with low seat and high seat?  I'm not sure if I want the low seat or high seat.  

[hoosierbass07]

  Well, I made my order - I bought a Ride 115.  I called the store selling it on ebay a few days ago.  First they said I would have to pay $99 to ship it to my back door or the local shipping terminal (seventy miles away).  I did not order then though.  I called today to order and the guy on the phone said they have always offered free shipping to the local shipping terminal.   So I placed my order over the phone -  Ride 115 with free shipping.  Total is $675.00   

 

 When they ship it to the terminal/shipping company near Indy I'm supposed to go and pick it up.  I need to examine it to make sure it arrives safely.  This is my first kayak so are there certain things I should look for when looking for damage and things?  

 

 If they do ship this out and I end up getting this for $675, I think I found a good deal.  

[hoosierbass07]

  How do fishing kayaks hold up in cold weather?  I mean, when I get my kayak I will probably put in in an unheated shed.  Can really cold temperatures, so around zero degrees, do harm to kayaks?  

[VolFan]

Look for any dents with creases in the plastic and any gouging. Check to make sure none of the hardware screws are stripped. Other than that, those boats are basically Tupperware. The low temps shouldn't affect it much. I had a Dagger Delta that spent alt of time outside in VA, CO, and TN with no real adverse affects other than some sun fading. And some resident spiders.

[hookedahawg]

Hoosier make sure to let us know how the transaction went so maybe the next buyer will have an idea how it all went. Thats a great price for that boat!

[Felix77]

If you know exactly what you are getting then I am all for E-Bay.  With a purchase this size I would be concerned with returning it if there happened to be something wrong with it.  If you do buy it let us know your experience.  These are great deals!  

 

I'm shopping for a kayak too but I want to wait til spring when I can actually try them out around here.

[J Francho]

Seat time is REALLY important.  I sort of lucked out with my first fishing kayak, an OK Prowler Big Game.  It suited my needs perfectly, without any seat time.  I've been in others that were great boats, but would have been a big disappointment if I had purchased.

[hoosierbass07]

I picked up my kayak. Wow, this thing is heavy. HEAVY!

[hookedahawg]

Im guessing everything was good?

[hoosierbass07]

 Well, my brother and I went to the shipping company to pick it up.  I was supposed to inspect it first.  The kayk was wrapped with cardboard and plastic wrap.  It first looked OK but I walked around it and saw some cardboard dented in and then I opened the area up and found a scratch.  Looked sort of like someone driving a forklive might have scratched it.  I inspected the scratch and all it seemed was a scratch.  I pushed in the plastic and it did not feel structurally weak or anything.  I kept looking for more scratch and didn't find any.  One way home we stopped at a gas station and I was looking at the kayak again, inspecting it.  I found two more smaller scratches on the bottom.  They were minor though.  

 

 I was thinking of refusing the kayak because of the scratches but thought - they seemed minor surface scratches.  Plus I figured I'm getting a good deal for $675.  So I brought it home.  After taking it inside the house and taking off all the cardboard and plastic and inspecting it more it seems to be in good shape.  It is heavy though, very heavy. I'm surprised at its weight.  

 

 You can't really see the scratches unless you are looking at them with good light and they could probably be sanded smooth.  Overall the kayak looks good. 

 

 The thing is heavy though.  I'm thinking this Ride 115 will not only be good for small ponds but big lakes too.  lol.  

 

 I'm not sure I would buy another kayak from the seller though.  I'm not sure what the going price is for a 2013 Ride 115 in kayak shops.  I assume they would be higher than what I paid - $675 with free shipping.  So maybe I would buy another kayak from the seller if again they offered a good price and it's one I wanted.  The really bad thing is I have to wait till spring to try it out unless we get a few warm days in January. 

 

 What I expect - I will be having a blast in it this spring and summer.  Although heavy, it looks plenty stable to stand and fish and plenty big enough to carry lots of tackle. 

 

 I'm not a big lover of displaying the American flag but I do have desire put an American flag sticker on the nose of the kayak.  It's my ship and I want the flag on it.  

[Darren.]

Sounds like a decent deal enough. Scratches will happen in shipping and most definitely in hitting the water, running over logs, shallow rocks and such. Marks of use nothing more.

 

Enjoy your new Ride, you'll love it, I'm sure!!

 

Just remember to always wear a PFD!

[hoosierbass07]

 As a bank fishermen, I've been looking to cut down on all the stuff I carry.  Now with this kayak and it's carry capacity, I see I will probably be able to carry all my tackle with me in the thing.  

[flyfisher]

yeah surface scratches are nothing to worry about and are normal.  I know i have a few that are more in the deep scratch category and have no concerns.  As far as being heavy goes with stability on a SOT you will get weight, it is just part of the deal.  I would take the additional weight for stability any day and i did when i had my coosa...that thing was no lightweight.

[pabassr]

Congrats on your new kayak. Just remember to be careful in cold weather,hypothermea can set in fast. Always wear your life jacket when in your kayak.

[VolFan]

I had the roof rack on my Explorer fail while I was going 65 down I-40 in Knoxville. That yak did a couple cart wheels on pavement and got a gentle nudge from an 18 wheeler... It had some good scratches but was none the worse for wear. I wouldn't worry about it being scratched; go get some more on it so they don't get lonely.